Ligue 1 Wrap: Saint-Etienne keep pace with Lille

Saint-Etienne stayed in touch with Lille in the race for the final UEFA Champions League qualifying spot in Ligue 1 with a 2-1 win at Lyon.

With leaders Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco looking set to claim the top two spots in France's top flight, the scramble goes on for third and a place in the qualifying rounds of next year's competition.

Both sides were in action on Sunday, Salomon Kalou's dramatic stoppage-time winner earning Lille a 1-0 success at home to Guingamp to heap pressure on Saint-Etienne.

Christophe Galtier's side responded strongly, however, inflicting a second straight home league defeat on Lyon.

Saint-Etienne went ahead through Mevlut Erding's 28th-minute opener, but were pegged back six minutes before half-time by Alexandre Lacazette's strike.

The visitors clinched all three points through Max Gradel 16 minutes from time to open up a six-point gap over Lyon, who harbour hopes of reaching next year's UEFA Europa League.

Elsewhere, Rennes climbed to 14th with a convincing 3-0 home win over Bastia.

Romain Alessandrini and Ola Toivonen put the home side in control inside half an hour, before Jean Makoun added a third just before the hour mark.

It was a crucial win for Rennes as they moved eight points clear of the drop zone, while for Bastia it was a third defeat in four.